The most despised of all Christians (and for good reason)
Politi-Christians. We all know who I am talking about. You undoubtedly have one or more of these fanatics on your friends’ list. You have rolled your eyes more than once at their outrageous statements or needlessly abrasive perspectives.
Let me fill you in on a little-known fact. Politics is the new religion of the USA! If you look at the amount of blind devotion many Americans demonstrate to their political party, it is shocking.
During both the 2016 and 2020 election, we were able to look behind the curtain and see what their worship looks like. These pseudo-religious fanatics are in a perpetual frenzy.
Political fanatics have ruined social media; they own the news; they have even infiltrated ESPN! You can’t go anywhere without running into political tension. And the worst perpetrators of them all I call Politi-Christians.
Politi-Christians formulate their political beliefs from a carefully chosen sense of morals that doesn’t conform to any contextualized understanding of Scripture. They proof-text and take things out of context because they don’t care about the truth or mission of Christianity; they are too busy USING Christianity to prop up their political party or social ideology.
Are you a Politi-Christian?
Let’s take a serious look at this. Open up your most commonly used social media page and check your focus. Are your posts Christ-honoring, Republican/Democrat-honoring, or divisive just for the sake of controversy?
Remember, the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
If you are a Christian and your posts on social media are mostly politically focused, I’m sorry to inform you that you are a Politi-Christian, and your friends secretly despise you. Maybe you think people are impressed with your superior virtue, but the truth is you annoy the crap out of people.
They won’t say anything because they are polite and don’t want to make a scene, but I had to speak up; I couldn’t take it anymore. If you were doing this in the name of your political party or personal ideology, I would let it go. But when you do it in the name of Christ, you go too far.
What you are doing has many names; the one I want to use today is Self-righteousness. Jesus addressed this issue numerous times. You might recall some of his teachings on this subject:
“First, remove the log from your own eye, then remove the speck from your neighbors.”
Or
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
The modern term for this is “virtue signaling.” And if we are honest, everyone is guilty of it sometimes.
I confess, like everyone else, sometimes I want the left hand to know what the right hand is doing. But I know it is wrong, and I am in the middle of a major battle with my pride and ambition right now. I trust that Jesus will rid me of this in time, but I am battling my pride, not posting it on the internet.
Mob Mentality
Politi-Christians run in packs and herds. The echo chamber is their natural habitat. They must surround themselves with people who believe exactly as they do and validate their political outrage and religiosity.
If you read their posts, you will notice that it is mob mentality. The commenters “totally agree” with everything the poster says. But if someone pipes in with a more balanced perspective or even an opposing view, they all jump on the poster and call them names and never consider the actual point.
To be fair, there are culprits on every side:
The Ridiculous Right has proponents touting Donald J Trump as the next Messiah. They claim he is a Christian even though there are no “fruits of the Spirit” demonstrated in his life. They equate conservatism with Christianity, which does not play out with the whole narrative of Scripture.
The Looney Left thinks everyone is evil except them and proceeds to twist words and promote lies to procure their political agendas. All the while ignoring the evils that they justify within their belief system. They speak of compassion and tolerance, yet their message only applies to their enemies, not themselves.
Conspiracy theorists are perhaps the most annoying. They find evil under every rock and implore a minimum amount of discernment to every idea that they encounter on Youtube or Facebook. Their gullibility causes every Christian to look like a tinfoil hat-wearing buffoon. They think they are helping, but their wisdom is foolishness.
It’s a TRAP
Jesus saw political affiliation as a trap. Things weren’t so different in the first century. In the same way, the media plots and schemes to catch politicians in “gotcha” moments today, the religious leaders of Jesus time did the same thing. But to my absolute delight, Jesus outwitted them every time.
When asked if people should pay taxes to Ceasar, His response was simple and true. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar, BUT give to God what belongs to God.”
Jesus didn’t just answer their question. He proclaimed that the real answer was found in the Gospel, not their simplistic political structures. Jesus’ wisdom, in this matter, should guide us.
The mistake that Politi-Christians make is that they believe (sometimes without realizing it) that the answer to the world’s problems can be found in a “Christian” president or a human rights agenda.
They are convinced that by revealing some vast conspiracy that they have rescued us from some diabolical plan. All of these theories have been proven false again and again. But even if they were true, they would still pale in comparison to the redemptive message of the Gospel.
The Gospel recognizes that we live in an evil world, but it informs us that the source of evil within our society comes from the hearts of men. BUT evil men can be transformed. They can recognize their wrongdoing and repent. Jesus can change their hearts, thus altering their actions and consequently changing society.
I have an unpopular opinion: “Jesus is the answer.” That is why I try to focus my writings on gospel solutions. This response isn’t popular today, but it is what Jesus did, so it is what I will do.
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9
